The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Critical Minerals Alliances 2024 - September 16, 2024
Titanium's versatility shines in many consumer products such as milk, cheese, paper, and paint, but it's also used to give the brilliance and a silvery color to fireworks.
Titanium is used in many industrial applications like plates, tubes, rods, and powder.
Rutile, a titanium-rich mineral, is essential for producing titanium dioxide, widely used in paints, plastics, and paper.
A puck of titanium sponge, the porous form of titanium created during the initial processing of the ilmenite or rutile, crucial for producing high-performance aerospace components and consumer goods.
When people see something pristine white, they often think of it as pure or clean – this imagery is plastered everywhere, from unblemished lab coats to sterilized hospitals. Yet, it may be surprising to know that the rich whiteness seen in many consumer products actually comes from a critical metal, titanium.
From the whiteness of milk to the foundation used in makeup, if it is used to lighten or brighten, it most likely contains titanium.
According to the United States Geological Survey's Mineral Commodity Summaries 2024, a significant portion – an estimated 90% -- of the titanium mined each year is used to impart a stark whiteness to a wide variety of consumer goods we use every day.
"Titanium is different than most other metallic elements in that it is mined primarily to satisfy demands for a chemical product – titanium dioxide for pigment – rather than for the metal itself," the U.S. Geological Survey penned in a 2018 report on the luminous metal.
Despite its widespread use in consumer products, the importance of titanium extends far beyond just its whitening properties. This metal also plays a crucial role in various high-tech and strategic applications that stress its classification as a critical mineral.
Titanium's unique properties, such as a high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, and high-temperature stability, make it indispensable in multiple high-tech and strategic applications.
Titanium is used in many industrial applications like plates, tubes, rods, and powder.
The aerospace industry heavily relies on titanium for aircraft structures and engines. The metal's intrinsic functions enable the production of aircraft that are both lightweight and strong, significantly improving fuel efficiency and overall performance.
In the defense sector, titanium is crucial for manufacturing similarly lightweight, strong, and corrosion-resistant components for military aircraft, naval vessels, missiles, and armor plating. This durable metal enhances the performance and longevity of basically all military equipment, making it a strategic material for national security.
Furthermore, titanium is vital in the energy sector, particularly in power generation, where its resistance to corrosion and ability to withstand high temperatures are essential for constructing power plants, offshore oil rigs, and pipelines.
The durable metal's biocompatibility also makes it a preferred material for medical implants, such as joint replacements and dental fixtures.
To appreciate titanium's critical role, it is essential to understand its journey from raw mineral to the versatile material used across various industries.
While most immediately think of solid titanium in high-performance sports equipment or large armor plating, it is actually its powdered form, known as sponge titanium, that comprises the basis of the entire titanium industry.
Sponge titanium, used to produce titanium ingots, is transformed into slab, billet, pipe, bar, plate, sheet, and other mill products. This highly volatile form of pure titanium is also used to create the beautiful flashes of white light in fireworks.
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is what delivers exceptional whiteness to a wide variety of household goods and foods. It has three qualities that make it ideal for creating whiter whites – it is white, safe for human consumption, and scatters light extremely well.
"Titanium dioxide has properties for whiteness, opacity, and chemical inertness that make it especially suitable for use as a pigment to impart a durable white color to paints, paper, plastic, sunscreen, toothpaste, and wallboard," the USGS wrote in its 2018 titanium report.
Most high-quality white paints available today contain "titanium white," a pigment made from titanium dioxide. In addition to imparting a reflectiveness and whiteness that makes rooms appear brighter, titanium dioxide increases paint's opacity, assisting in the "one-coat cover" touted by many manufacturers.
It is also used to make foods such as skim milk and cottage cheese whiter and creamier looking, and even to enhance the whiteness of paper.
There are very few replacements for titanium dioxide when it comes to pigments. Lead, once the ingredient of choice for white paint for nearly 2,000 years, has similar whitening qualities but is seldom used today because of its toxicity.
According to the USGS, more than 95% of titanium mineral concentrates in 2023 were consumed by domestic pigment producers.
Because it is used in such a wide variety of products, most U.S. consumers use a product containing titanium dioxide every day. However, the production and supply of titanium face significant challenges, impacting its availability and cost. Even with the high demand for titanium dioxide in consumer products and its importance in strategic applications, domestic titanium production in the United States has faced a downturn.
According to USGS, titanium sponge metal was produced by only one operation in the U.S. last year.
A puck of titanium sponge, the porous form of titanium created during the initial processing of the ilmenite or rutile, crucial for producing high-performance aerospace components and consumer goods.
This facility, operated by ATI Titanium LLC (a subsidiary of Allegheny Technologies Inc.) in Salt Lake City, Utah, has an estimated capacity of 500 tons per year and produces titanium that is further refined for use in electronics.
To give perspective, 500 tons of titanium sponge is roughly enough to manufacture the components for around 50 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which each use approximately 10 tons of titanium.
However, the U.S. requires much more titanium annually, with estimated consumption around 40,000 tons, primarily for aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. In 2023 alone, the U.S. imported approximately 42,000 tons of titanium sponge to meet this demand, highlighting the significant reliance on foreign sources despite the high domestic need.
At one point, two other facilities held a combined capacity of roughly 23,500 tons, enough to support more than half of the country's needs, but these facilities have since been in an idled status since 2016 and 2020, respectively.
The idling of these facilities, operated by TIMET (Titanium Metals Corporation) in Henderson, Nevada, and another in Rowley, Utah, by ATI Titanium, reflects the broader challenges faced by the domestic titanium industry, including fluctuating market conditions, high operational costs, and competition from foreign producers.
Recognizing the strategic importance of titanium, the U.S. government has taken steps to support the domestic industry. The Department of Defense, for example, has invested in several projects to ensure a reliable supply of titanium for military applications.
In recent years, the Defense Production Act Title III has been invoked to bolster domestic production of critical minerals, including titanium. This act provides funding for the development of new extraction and processing technologies and offers incentives for companies to expand their production capabilities.
Additionally, the National Defense Stockpile (NDS) program has been leveraged to maintain reserves of titanium sponge and other critical materials to mitigate supply chain disruptions.
While these initiatives are vital for addressing immediate supply chain vulnerabilities, long-term sustainability of the titanium supply also hinges on expanding domestic mining and production capabilities.
Efforts are underway to develop new titanium mines and production facilities across North America, aiming to reduce dependency on foreign sources and enhance the resilience of the supply chain.
From the western reaches of Alaska to the far east of Quebec in Canada, numerous locations of possible iron-rich deposits have been recorded, and where there is iron, there is a good chance there is the titanium mineral ilmenite. Additionally, the continental U.S., including regions in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, hosts significant potential titanium stores, with heavy mineral sand deposits rich in titanium.
Rutile, a titanium-rich mineral, is essential for producing titanium dioxide, widely used in paints, plastics, and paper.
Titanium mining involves extracting the two primary titanium-bearing minerals ilmenite and rutile, which are typically found in heavy mineral sand deposits along coastlines or in hard rock deposits inland.
Mining operations generally use surface techniques like open-pit mining and dredging to excavate these minerals, which are then processed through gravity and magnetic separation methods to isolate the titanium minerals from other materials. The resulting titanium concentrate is further refined to produce titanium dioxide or titanium sponge.
A 2016 report by the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) identified the potential for critical minerals-enriched marine placers approximately 100 miles northwest of Nome, at the western tip of the Seward Peninsula. The report concludes that sedimentary processes in the Bering Strait could create heavy-mineral placers containing titanium, zirconium, rare earth elements, and minor quantities of tin, tungsten, niobium, and precious metals.
"We conclude that sedimentary processes in the Bering Strait are present that could create heavy-mineral placers containing minerals with titanium, zirconium, and rare earth elements plus minor tin, tungsten, niobium, and precious metals," DGGS penned in its report.
The beaches of Nome are not the only Alaskan sites rich in titanium. The Kemuk prospect, located further south, is believed to contain a vast lode of titanium. Initial work by Humble Oil Company estimated that Kemuk holds 2.4 billion tons of material averaging 15 to 17% iron, alongside significant titanium and silicon deposits.
Millrock Resources Inc. revisited the Kemuk project in 2010 but focused less on titanium and iron and more on the potentially larger copper deposit indicated by the area's mineralization.
As for America's northern neighbor, Canada produced approximately 500,000 metric tons of titanium mineral concentrates in 2023. This represents a decrease from previous years, attributed to a decline in global demand and reduced production capacity in some mines. Despite this decline, Canada continues to play a significant role as a leading producer of titanium in North America, reflecting its importance in the global titanium supply chain.
Most of the titanium comes from Rio Tinto's Lac Tio mine near Havre-Saint-Pierre, Quebec, home to the largest ilmenite deposit in the world, positioning Canada to be well-equipped to circumvent national security issues and provide a North American supply chain.
Alongside its impressive titanium capability, Rio Tinto is also addressing scandium supply risks by extracting high-purity scandium from the waste streams of its aluminum production at the Sorel-Tracy plant in Quebec.
America's southeastern states of Florida and Georgia host rich coastal heavy mineral sand deposits that could help reduce foreign reliance.
In 2020, Chemours Titanium Technologies, one of the world's largest producers of titanium dioxide, invested approximately $86 million into a heavy mineral sand project in Georgia. This project is currently producing titanium, zircon, and rare earth elements, marking a significant step toward enhancing domestic titanium production.
Other players that are contributing to a future titanium supply include IperionX, which is developing the Titan Project in Tennessee and aims to become a leading supplier of low-carbon titanium.
While a potential ally in Greenland, Bluejay Mining plc, is advancing the Dundas Ilmenite Project, considered the one of the world's highest-grade ilmenite projects, could also become a vital source for North America.
With these developments, despite the current challenges, there are promising solutions on the horizon to mitigate the risk associated with this critical white metal. This progress highlights a step toward reducing reliance on foreign sources, although that still leaves 49 other critical minerals and metals to address.
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